Her Court
by Ellis Alpha
Summary: Following the events of Beta, Penelope's gem is to be a Pink Diamond and has been heavily damaged. Jasper wants nothing more than to save her, but at what cost? And at what truth as Pink Diamond's secrets are revealed in this next arc. (Don't own anything of the original SU, this is just my thoughts and theories in a story.)
1. Chapter 1

The crystal warp activated outside the beautiful garden and wooden house on a rainy hour. Jasper appeared on the platform, cradling a girl with bright pink hair in her arms. The girl looked like she was sleeping, but Jasper knew better. It was her fault the girl was like this to begin with.

Jasper headed inside quickly, not wanting the girl to "catch a cold". Whatever that meant anyway. The brute Gem had only been living on Earth for awhile and still had much to learn of her former Colony. A lot has changed in six thousand years, she noted as she set the Pinkette on the couch. Unconsciously, she phased out of her uniform and went to go get a towel to dry off the child. She, then, proceeded to dry off the girl's hair.

"Hey, Sister. You're going to get this "cold" if you stay wet like this." Jasper chuckled, lightly. Her smile was a little too forced, but how could one smile in a situation like this?

She paused when she got to the cracked Pink Diamond at the girl's navel and her face contorted into a painful sadness. She flashbacked to that horrible moment at Beta; her Kindergarten. How this girl, her long lost beloved Diamond, nearly got shattered because of her stupidity! She had to retreat with her before those stupid rebels could get to her. But, she knew that there were no resources here that can fix her gem… Unless…

Jasper pulled out the Diamond Communication device out of her gem. She could contact Homeworld. Maybe, if she reported that Her Diamond, Pink Diamond, was still alive, there's a chance that she can fix everything from the war and still have her honor as a Quartz Gem! She was glad that Penelope had trusted her with it!

She frowned at the thought and looked down at Penelope and her cracked Gem. If she had known about Penelope's gem, all of this could've been avoided to begin with. Then again, for some reason, Penelope, or Pink Diamond now, hated her own Gem. Which didn't make any sense to Jasper. What kind of Diamond would actually hate being a Diamond, the highest among Gems? She was lost on that one. Afterall, Penelope was a strange Gem in her own right. However, she was also her lost diamond. It didn't make sense to her.

Jasper sighed and headed outside, careful not to disturb Penelope as though she was sleeping. She makes up her mind as she decides to call Yellow Diamond. She'll know what to do.

As the stone glows and forms the terminal, Yellow Pearl appears on the screen.

"I wish to speak with Yellow Diamond! This is urgent!" Jasper began as the pearl frowned in annoyance.

"Another one?" She huffed, "Look, I don't know where you gems get these lines! But, My Diamond will see no one! I suggest going through the proper-"

"WHAT OTHER CHANNELS DO YOU EXPECT ME TO GO THROUGH?!" Jasper roared in anger, "I'M STUCK ON THIS STUPID PLANET WITH MY SHIP DESTROYED, THE PERIDOT I WAS ASSIGNED TO REBELLED, AND A LOCAL GEM THAT HELPED ME HERE IS CRACKED! JUST LET ME THROUGH!"

"Why I ne-"

"Pearl?" a deep voice spoke in the background as the Pearl grew slight fearful.

"Yes, my Diamond?" she replied, carefully.

"Who is it this time?"

"I-I don't know, my Diamond. I was just telling them-"

"I'll take from here." The screen moved to reveal a giant yellow woman full of commanding power and a yellow gem dead center of her chest, Yellow Diamond.

"Jasper, reporting in,... My Diamond..." She saluted, hesitantly. After all, Yellow wasn't truly her Diamond. "My apologies for using this line, but I had no other options."

"Ah, good. Are you still around? Excellent. There's a group of Rubies I sent to retrieve you and take you to your next assignment. I'll have them pick you up at your location."

"Wait! Please! There's something else I need to tell you about!" Jasper pleaded.

"Well? Let's hear it, then. I'm very busy at the-" Yellow turn to face her now with a dissatisfied expression, "What are you wearing?"

Confused, Jasper glanced down only to gasp at the realization that her attire was human clothes instead of her uniform. She began to panic at her mistake.

"I-I can explain-" she began.

"No need. It seems to me that you have become... fond of your former colony and what it has currently become. May I remind you that there is a geo-weapon incubating inside that planet." Yellow stated, annoyed.

"I'm aware of that but, the situation's changed! The planet can still function as a colony if you heard what I discovered!"

"I have heard enough of that vile planet!" Yellow spat before Jasper could say another word, "That Peridot already tried reasoning with me and is now considered a traitor. Is that what you want to become?!"

Jasper hesitated. On the one hand, she was loyal to the Diamonds. But, she served Yellow when she lost Pink. She wasn't shattered, but she will be if she doesn't get help soon. However, Pink will lose her colony. Jasper glanced around at the garden her Diamond worked to create. The time and effort spent on it that it was worth. Was it worth losing to save her?

What's more: something didn't add up. If Pink is still alive, where is her pearl? She had a gut feeling that going back to Homeworld was a bad idea now. What should she do?

"Well? I'm waiting." Yellow waited, impatiently.

"There's still something I need to do here. Please, give me some more time." Jasper blurted out without thinking.

"And what would that be?" She inquired.

"I-I believe Rose Quartz to be alive! At least, give me chance to capture her!" Jasper pleads, knowing that it was the truth at one point.

Yellow Diamond looked annoyed, "I see no reason for you to do so when the planet will be eliminated soon. But, I'll grant you your silly hunt. You have one week."

"Thank you, my Diamond. Jasper out." She gritted out and saluted as the transmission ended.

Jasper had a bad taste in her mouth after the transmission ended as she headed back inside. In the end, She still hasn't gotten her Diamond's Gem fixed. Was she really this worthless of a Gem? Or has she really changed being here with her Diamond?

Either way, the ship was destroyed, Peridot's a traitor, and Lapis doesn't want to see her face again. She just blew all of her chances to fix everything; her colony, the war, and even her Diamond. Why? All because of a silly little bad feeling she had?! She was a Quartz soldier for crying out loud! All she did was buy time!

But, time for what?

"Just what am I to do now?!" Jasper gritted her teeth in anger as she kicked the bag Penelope always had with her across the floor. Its contents went flying everywhere.

Jasper was too frustrated with herself that she failed to notice a single pink bubble pop on impact against the wooden floor. The only thing she noticed was a bright pink light as the occupant of the bubble started to regain its form. Startled, Jasper watches the gem emerge. She thought Penelope unleashed all the corruptions in Beta. Did she forget one?

She would've prepared to battle the corruption except for the fact that not once did the gem strayed from its humanoid figure. It was actually another Gem like her! Jasper felt relief briefly before the possibility of the Gem belonging to Rose crossed her mind. Before she could guard herself, the now pink gem fell to the floor and Jasper stared at her in shock as she rose to her feet. The gem looked at her, both in confusion and distress. A pink pearl adorned her slender belly.

"W-what happened?" Pink Pearl stuttered, looking around frantically, "Where am I? The war! What about the war?"

* * *

 **Well, I have some explaining to do now, don't I?**

 **Hey, guys! It's been awhile! I would've posted this sooner, but there's is this thing call life outside of FanFiction. It can be a pain in the neck, but nevertheless, it was worth it in my opinion. I wanted to take this in a completely different direction, so I hope you like it cause I don't plan on changing this one. Maybe update some old stuff, though. A person's writing can always improve!**

 **Laters,**

 **Ellis Alpha**


	2. Chapter 2

Jasper groaned in disbelief, "Great not only do I have a Diamond to take care of, but her pearl as well?! And what are you even wearing?"

Pearl looked down at her being, taking note of the pink military jacket, matching combat boots, and a red bandana around her fluffy cotton candy hair. The pearl frowned at Jasper, "I told you I was in a war! I thought that was obvious!"

"No offense, but what kind of war were you in!? You look ridiculous! I never saw anything like that back in the Great Gem War!"

"That's because I wasn't in the Gem War, you clod! I was… I was…" she frowned in realization, "I… I can't remember…"

"That's probably because your gem is cracked. Maybe, during this fake war, you're talking about!"

"It wasn't a myth, I assure you!" Pearl huffed, "In any case, we need to heal up and regroup our forces… Where are they?"

Jasper frowned, "Who are they?"

"My comrades, of course! There were others… That I fought in the war with… It seems like I just saw them…" Pearl looked around, distressed as she turned to Jasper, "What happened? How long was I gone?"

"Beats me. You were bubbled up in that bag, but as for how long? Only she knows." Jasper simply replies, referring to Penelope lying out cold on the couch.

Pearl saw the cracked gem and gasped, "My… my diamond… but, it's not… That's…"

Pearl crumbled to the ground, eyes in disbelief. She, suddenly, started to cry as she laughed, "It's really has been a while, hasn't it?"

Jasper merely stared at the floor with a pained expression on her face. She didn't know what to say in this situation. She wasn't prepared for this. None of them were.

So what now?

Pearl rose, brushing the tears out of her eyes, as this was no time to be sitting around. She began to pace the room, thinking of a solution to their predicaments. The main problem was her gem-related amnesia if her gem wasn't cracked she would have the answer by now. Quite frustrating it was being in this predicament.

Then, it hit her. Why didn't she think of it before?! It was brilliant!

"I got it! We to find a rose!" She spoke to Jasper.

Jasper was slightly confused as there were roses in the garden. What did roses have do with healing gems? Then, it hit her. But, to make absolutely sure, she took Pearl outside to the rose bushes.

"These roses?" Jasper gestured to them.

"My, how pretty they are! But no, not those roses, a Rose!" Pearl replied, smelling them.

Jasper nodded her in understanding, then came the yelling, "Have you lost your mind?! The only Rose Quartz left on this planet is the leader of the Crystal Gems and no way am I going to them for help! They'll shatter us all!"

"Well, what else do you think we should do?! All the gem tech here is highly outdated and can't heal gems to my knowledge! Only a Rose Quartz can heal us unless we find her fountain, which I would have to be healed to remember where that is, then we have no choice but to go to her!" retorted Pink Pearl.

"But, she shatter you too, you clod! Then, what?"

"Then, I'll go down fighting if it's the last thing I do cause I'm not a coward like you!" Pearl said, drawing what appeared to be a pirate's pistol out of her gem, except it was pink with cracks in the barrel. It seemed to reflect the state of her gem.

Jasper would have laughed this off as delusions of grandeur had there not been a gun in her face to ruin the mood. It was as if Pearl dared her to laugh. She sighed, though, as there really wasn't much of a choice. It was their best shot right now.

"Fine, but you go in first and you go alone. If you're healed without an incident, then you take them out to us in an area where we have room to escape if necessary. Got it?" Jasper offered.

"I say that's fair. We'll have a better chance with me healed up. Besides, a poor ol' injured pearl running from her vulgar of an owner is more believable than a demanding Quartz soldier." Pearl reasoned, remembering a couple of her tricks as the gun dispersed. Thank the stars those stayed intact, at least. Now if only she can remember where she learned them from.

No, she recalled, faintly, not where. The question was who she learned them from.

She shook her head as she phased off her war gear. This was not the time nor place for memories. She tried to remember some inklings of her life on Homeworld to help her behavior and act. She'll need all the help she can get in her state.

Jasper, on the other hand, tried her best not to groan at the pain of dealing with a cracked pearl on this trip. But she knew her rowdy Diamond would've done the same in her position. So, what difference was it going to make?

A lot, she'll realize, it'll change everything.

* * *

 **...I have more explaining to do, don't I?**

 **Yes, it's short. But, trust when I say there's a hurricane at the end of this.**

 **I always thought pink pearl to be more unique. I can see her with a pirate's pistol instead of a blade. She's a special gem in this.**

 **As for cracked gems, I feel that each gem will have their own issues with that scenario. Prime examples being Amethyst and Lapis; their 'symptoms' varied. Gem hybrids? I feel they become comatose, especially in Penelope's case.**

 **Night,**

 **Ellis Alpha**


	3. Things You Do for Love

The whole plan took a bit to set up, seeing as Pearl was still trying to remember things till Jasper finally told her to give it a rest.

"At least till your gem's healed and so we don't waste anymore time. Just improvise if you have to!" Jasper urged, wrapping Penelope up in a blanket.

She had changed the girl's clothes earlier as she didn't want her to get this 'sick' thing she mentioned when first meeting her. Her small Diamond was fragile right now, she reasoned, and she was very cold. It scared Jasper more than it should. Gems shouldn't be this bad when they're cracked, especially not a Diamond.

But, then was Penelope even a normal Gem? A normal Diamond at that? Penelope Pink. That's was what she called herself. A strange name even for a human. But, she was fond of the name. Was that right? How would the other Diamonds take this?

'All of this,' she thought, recalling Yellow's reaction to her stay on Earth.

"Hello? Anyone there? I'm ready when you are!" The Pearl called, waving a hand in front of her face, despite her height.

This one obviously had experience in dealing with taller beings; a true Diamond's pearl.

'Except now, her Diamond was a much smaller one,' she mused, thoughtfully.

"Calm down, I was mainly waiting on you." She grumbled, picking up the sleeping girl carefully.

She made her way to the detached garage with Penelope's keys in hand. She was halfway there when she noticed Pearl making a beeline for the warp pad. She groaned, thinking that this was going to be a long day.

"Hey! What in Diamond's name are you doing, Pearl!" Jasper yelled, annoyed.

Pearl stopped and frowned in confusion, "Are we not taking the warp pad there?"

"And warp in the middle of enemy territory?! No! Besides, she hates traveling through warp pads."

"Then, how else are we supposed to get there?!" Pearl asked, frustrated.

"Help me open that door with these 'keys' and I'll show you! They have a land ship!" Jasper replied, moving towards the garage again.

This confused Pearl, greatly, "Land ship?"

She helped Jasper opened the large sliding door to find a workbench with various tools and photos, something large covered with a cloth, and, she smiled, the 'land ship' Jasper referred to. She laughed, it was refreshing to see that some things never change. She couldn't say why, though. Jasper, on the other hand, didn't see the amusement she created.

"What's so funny?" She inquired.

"Oh, forgive me," Pearl breathed, "But, that 'land ship' is actually called a truck."

An old one; time had made its mark on it. She remembered them back before the war. They were fairly new, then. This one's paint was worn with a few dents and scratches, but judging by the tools next to the vehicle, it recently worked on and was taking care of. Driving one was an experience for her, one she appreciated.

"Whatever, can we go?" Jasper prompted.

"Mm? Of course, check inside for the keys. I'll look through the workbench over there." She answered, heading there. She found the keys hanging from a nail next to the other tools. She was about to head back when she eyed a picture with familiar faces. One was hers. Though the picture wasn't in color she knew the man standing next to her right had grey eyes. She frowned, wondering why something like this was here.

A loud honk of the truck horn startled her. She turned, quickly, to find Jasper was in the driver's seat, laughing.

"Maybe, that will teach you not to get distracted!" She cackled, wickedly.

Pearl merely huffed as she got back to the car, keys in hand. As much as she wanted to take a shot at Jasper, she didn't want to damage the truck. She'll find a way to get back at her after she gets her gem healed. She can't think clearly with her gem like this anyway. After she got in and handed the keys over did she realized something.

"Do you even know how to drive?!" She asked, cautiously.

Jasper merely shrugged, "It can't be that hard to figure it out!"

Pearl immediately snatched the keys back before Jasper could process they're gone, "I'm sorry, but I will not risk having us killed in a wreck! I'm driving and that's final!"

Jasper growled, but Pink Pearl had her gun already out and ready, "Switch. NOW."

"Fine. It's probably your job anyway!" The brute retorted.

"I'm not even mad for that comment as long as I drive!" Pearl replied, sharply.

Not taking long to switch places, Penelope being in between the two Gems, Pearl started the car and began driving. It was five minutes before she realized she had no idea where they were located on the planet and didn't know where she was going.

"Do you even know where we're going?" Jasper asked.

Resist the urge to poof the Quartz now. She hated being useless like this. Now, she had this stupid brute of a gem to rub it in. Now what?

She glanced off and spotted an odd looking barn. It wasn't much, but hopefully, she can ask for directions. Beats driving around till the gas runs out.

She pulls in as Jasper's eyes widened as she jumps out of the truck, scaring pearl out of her mind. It was a split second before she realized that Jasper was being attacked by a hand made out of water. Another before she can safely stop the car. If it weren't for the seat belts, Penelope would've flow out with the Quartz soldier! Pink Pearl quickly stepped out as an angry Lapis and a nervous Peridot approached Jasper.

"Why did you come here!?" Lapis demanded.

"I wouldn't be here if I'd had known you were here!" Jasper retorted

"Liar!" Lapis called, as a giant water hand was about to crush Jasper had she not dodged.

"Just stop! I'm not here to fight! I-" she paused, dodging another attack, "I need help, okay?!"

"I- what?"

Lapis seemed off guard by Jasper's confession, which gave Pearl the upper hand to sneak behind. Her weapon aimed at Lapis' gem. Peridot shrieked as she stated, "Sorry to do this, but we really do mean no harm. We're just looking for something. We'll be out of your hair shortly afterward, I promise you."

They stared down at each other, wondering if the other was going to make a move or not. It was a minute before Peridot spoke up and to Jasper at that.

"It's about her, isn't it? Penelope, I think she called herself?" She asked, hesitantly.

Lapis seemed surprised as Jasper nodded, "She's… She won't wake up…"

Peridot studied Jasper's eyes, making sure there weren't any lies in them. She found nothing but, guilt. This astounded Peridot as Jasper was normally ruthless and a complete brute. But, she didn't see any of that now. What effect did that girl have on the Quartz?

She sighed, "Do you mind if I took a look at it? It'll be better if I assess the damage before you do anything else."

Lapis stared at her in shock, "You're helping her!? Why?!"

"Because," Peridot explained, "Penelope is to Jasper like Steven is to you. If Steven was hurt, wouldn't you do anything to fix him as well?"

Lapis had a pained look on her face as she thought about Steven hurt or trapped. She closed her eyes to avoid thinking of it further.

"But, that doesn't mean we should help her!" Lapis argued.

Jasper didn't know what to do. She just wanted Penelope to be okay. What more did she have to do?

Something Penelope spoke to her about when she found her in the rain came to mind. "Better to forgive, than to forget…" she bit her lip, hesitantly, before she spoke, "Lapis, I'm… I'm sorry!"

Again, this shocked the two Gems. Peridot assessment of her was getting more surprising. It took Lapis a minute before she spoke again.

"What?" She stumbled, trying to process all of this in her mind.

Jasper managed to continue, "Look, I know I'm not the last person you want to see and I understand that you really hate me for the things I've done. But, I'm sorry. I promise never to step foot here again if that's what it takes, just please, help me… I don't want to lose her. Not again…"

Lapis was taken aback when Jasper started to cry. It was only a couple of tears, but Lapis didn't think she cried for a human. Was this human really Jasper's 'Steven'? Whatever this human did made Jasper a completely different Gem. That much spoke to her.

Lapis turned around, not wanting to forgive her, yet. But, she sighed as she said, "Go take a look. I'll be in the truck if you need me."

And with that, she flew back up into the truck bed to finish watching Camp Pining Hearts. She needed to think. Peridot, on the other hand, was amazed Jasper managed to convince Lapis that she forgot about the Pearl, who was very impressed.

"I may not know what happened between the two of you, but I think you did the right thing." She commented with a smile.

This made Jasper feel proud of herself as

Peridot took a moment to study Pearl's gem and winched, "Just how long have you been like this?! This is some serious damage! I'm surprised you're still functioning properly!"

"Well, I only thing I have problems with is that my memories are scrambled! If I could remember where Rose's fountain was, I wouldn't have stopped by." Pink Pearl explained.

"Her fountain?" Peridot questioned, "Well, it can't be too hard to find if the Gems were able to warp there."

"I wanted to use the warp pad to begin with, but Jasper didn't want to walk straight into enemy territory. I must admit, she did have a point." Pearl muttered, hating that she was wrong.

"Well, it should be okay if you're with me! I am a Crystal Gem now!" Peridot bragged, proudly, "Anyway, let me take a look at Penelope's and we'll go find it. The Gems are on the moon base right now."

Jasper already was taking her out of the truck, handling her like going to break at a moment's notice. Peridot admired the Quartz's ability to actually delicately handle things like her with care. If Quartz like her can learn to put that kind of effort into their work, Homeworld may actually be more efficient in productivity.

She put aside that thought as Jasper laid the comfortably, wrapped Diamond in front of her. With careful hands, she gently removed the blanket back and lifted the shirt to examination the gem damage. She'll admit, she didn't think she was Pink Diamond until she saw the very gem adorn the child's belly. No, she thought, she is a Pink Diamond, but not her. Penelope is like Steven: she has the Gem but isn't the Gem itself. But, Pink Diamond was said to be shattered by Rose Quartz. So, how…?

She pushed away from the thought, she needs to focus on assessment her damage and helping the girl wake up. She sighed at the small crack, before returning everything to where it was.

"It's small, but as long as we're careful she'll be fine once she's healed. I'll admit, though, I… I never seen that kind of Gem in this condition before…" Peridot stated, concerned for the girl.

"Then, shall we start looking?" Pearl suggested.

"Yeah, I'll come with. I think I have a good idea where it might be. Just let me tell Lapis I'm heading off."

"Right, it is okay if we leave the truck here for now?" Pearl asked.

Peridot merely shrugged, "I don't have any problems with it."

After a moment of Peridot yelling at Lapis that she was leaving and she'll be back soon, they head for the warp pad and Peridot took them to the most probable location. She was delighted by the sight of the fabled fountain and bragged about it with her superior intellect. The others just tuned her out as they walked towards it. As agreed, Pink Pearl stepped up towards the fountain. She was eager to finally get her head straighten out. She took a breath and jumped in.

The others waited a minute before she broke through the surface. She had a grin on her face as hopped out of the fountain, dripping wet with a perfectly healed gem.

"I say it works pretty well if I say so myself." Pink Pearl commented, phasing herself dry.

With a big grin filled with hope, Jasper unwrapped Penelope and tossed her into the pool. A couple of minutes, went by before they all grew concerned. It a bit before Peridot spoke up about it.

"No offense, Jasper, but I don't think humans can swim when they're unconscious like that!" Peridot panicked.

This caused a panicked Jasper to attempt to jump in only to hesitate at the edge. Water. She was trapped in it by Lapis for who knows how long. Gems don't need to breathe, but during that time Jasper felt like she was drowning. It wasn't a good feeling. But, know Penelope was feeling the same made her push those horrible feelings aside.

However, before her feet left the edge, the glowed a soft pink before she saw Penelope burst out of the water. Jasper moved quickly to catch her before she hit the ground.

"Penelope!" She cried, as the girl's body began hacking up all the water out of her lungs.

Jasper wanted to hug her, but Pearl argued saying that the girl needs to breathe first as she wrapped the blanket around Penelope to help dry her off. She patted the girl's back to help her body settled down.

It wasn't until Penelope stopped coughing that she asked, "Ok, who's bright idea was it to wake me up by throwing me into a pool?!"

"Sorry, but we kinda had to." Jasper explained, "Your Gem was cracked and you wouldn't wake up. And I got worried, so… why are you laughing?"

It took her a moment to stop laughing before Penelope answered, "Sorry. It just I've never seen you worried like this before! It's kinda nice."

She, then, notice the other two Gems and smile, "Oh, hi there. Did you guys help me out as well?"

"Well, it wasn't much. But, I suppose we did. Call me Shirley. That's what my commander called me, anyway. I'm a Pearl." Pink Pearl introduce herself.

"And I'm-" Peridot began.

"Hey, Peri! I already know you. Jasper told me you guys were on a mission here." Penelope explained, excited, "I want to talk to you at Beta, but I guess things went a little crazy, didn't they?"

Peridot blinked, "Really? Huh, you really don't act like one at all."

Penelope frowned, "Act like what?"

"Well, back on Homeworld, we Peridots are known as kindergartners: we build places like Beta that make Gems like Jasper." She explained, "I studied your gem to assess the damage, of course. It wasn't too serious, but you definitely needed to heal soon. So, we brought you here to the healing fountain of Rose Quartz… What I'm trying to say is that you are a Diamond, but at the same time, you're not… I used to think that the Diamonds were everything until I learned otherwise. But, you? You're not like them at all. You're different and even defective at that. And I… I like it better that way. You don't think of us as tools, you see us as unique individuals. I like that, so please, don't change that."

Penelope blushed at that. But, the fact that her Gem was a Diamond, a defective one, also disturb her. She asked everyone there to keep her Gem a secret and they agreed. She kept thinking about this new knowledge as they made their way back to Peridot's barn and got in the thoughts were disrupted when she heard the engine ignite.

"Oh, you guys got it working again?" Penelope asked.

Shirley paused at this as she backed out onto the dirt road, "What do you mean? We thought you fixed it."

Penelope shook her head, "I fixed what I can but, there's a leak somewhere in the gas line."

"Oh! Well, it says here we still have a lot of gas left."

"The meter's broken, too. I only put a gallon in the tank."

At that moment just as they were a mile outside the woods, the car ran out of gas. There was a moment of silence for the truck before Penelope said, "Well, looks like you're pushing the truck back, Auntie."

* * *

 **Hey, guys. Sorry, this one took awhile, but writing can be a very slow process. Especially with a cat. Definitely with a cat. She likes to walk over my keyboard while I edit/post on my laptop (I write on my phone thank the gods!). So, bare with me.**

 **So, I brought up some interesting stuff that I definitely didn't plan to begin with. Like Jasper actually apologizing to Lapis, which takes something extreme to convince her to seek help from Lapis to begin with. However, it shows just how far one is will to go to save the one you love. Even if you have to forgive your enemies to do it.**

 **Till next time,**

 **Ellis Alpha**


	4. I love you

**Hey, guys, I'm back! Did you miss me?**

 **Yeah, I have been gone awhile. But, I did catch up with the new episodes and oh, boy is the orange mama back! NOW, GIVE HER A RESOLUTION!**

 **In any case, I will return to this story but it will be slow. I'm aiding with another fanfic involving the Gundam series by Buried Alien. If you're interested, please check it out! I'm very happy with the results so far!**

 **Without further ado...**

* * *

Penelope jolted awake and quickly survey her surroundings. She sighed in relief when she found herself back at home. She was safe and, judging by the sound of the TV below her, not alone. With the addition of Shirley, things were oddly lively around the house. It wasn't necessarily a bad thing, considering it was a lot better than waking up to an empty house.

She looked at the at the clock to see that it's 4 am. Close enough, she thought, not like she's going to get any more sleep for the night anyway. Besides, it gives her more time to work on the truck more since Shirley can drive… Did she even have a license? Penelope shrugged at the thought as she headed towards the shower.

Three days. It had been three days since she had her gem healed up. She hadn't had time to visit Amethyst and let her know that she was ok. Besides, a lot of things have happened after Peridot talked about her gem. Like the fact that her mom was a defective Pink Diamond…

Defective. Wrong. Something that shouldn't exist. And yet, she existed; was allowed to exist. Her hand fluttered to her gem, her Pink Diamond. Now she existed, she carried it on.

But then, what really happened during the Gem War? Pink Diamond was supposed to be shattered thousands of years ago. She's gone, right? So, who exactly was her mom?

Penelope sighed, as she stared at the engine longer than she would have like. Like it would just give her all the answers she needed. Like everything will make sense if she just found the missing pieces to this frustrating puzzle that was her Gem. Why did her existence have to be so complicated?

She actually wondered if Steven ever went through the same problems as her at one point. Not that she'll ever talk to him about it. It was comforting to know that there's someone else like her in the world. However, said person was still just a kid; a very ignorant kid. He was also the son of Rose Quartz, the Gem said to have shattered Pink Diamond, her mom. Didn't that, technically, make them enemies, then? Not that they got along to begin with. She didn't really care either way.

She laid down on the ground, staring up at the ceiling of the garage. She wasn't getting anywhere right now. Too many pieces were either missing or completely wrong! Maybe, she can talk to Amethyst about it tomorrow.

A warm cup of tea was placed next to her head. She looked up to find Shirley crouch down next to her, a cup in her own hand that smelled of coffee. Apparently, she drank it a lot to ease her nerves or whenever something was on her mind when she fought in a human war roughly 40 years ago. Penelope saw her drinking it a lot, though.

"I'm not much on giving advice, but I'm a great listener if you have something on your mind." She offered, sipping at her cup, "Jasper said you been in here for almost two hours."

Curious, she sat up and looked at the clock over the workbench. Sure enough, it was past six in the morning. She had been staring at a car engine for two hours. So much for being productive, she thought as she sipped her tea.

"I feel like this is all a badly written history book; a sugar-coated fairytale. I can't tell what's actually the truth in all of this and it's leaving me to have more questions than answers." Penelope confessed, "If Pink Diamond was shattered thousands of years ago, then how is it that I exist? Just what exactly happened on this planet? I want to know, but at the same time, I feel like it's better if I never found out. I don't know what to do, Shirley. I really don't."

Shirley took a sip as she pondered the young girl's words. She can understand where the child's frustration is coming from. The question was how to should she go about it. She sighed, deeply, "Believe it or not, I was once under her court. We, pearls, were made to keep the secrets of our owners classified to anyone, but our owners and the Diamonds. Technically, being what your Gem is, I could tell you everything I know about Pink Diamond and the Gem War. But, I feel that even then, you wouldn't be satisfied with the answers I give. So, unless you order me, I won't tell you. Not because I don't think you need to know, but because you must come to find and understand for yourself what you believe is the truth or not."

She smiled and stroke the Penelope's unruly, pale pink hair, "However, I don't mind giving you clues if you ask for them. Diamond or not, you're still you and nothing will change that."

This made Penelope feel better about herself as she gave her a small smile, "Thanks, Shirley, I need that."

"Happy to help. I'm just surprised you haven't already asked me about her, yet."

"She's gone, Shirley. I never knew her to begin with, so I doubt it'd make much of a difference to try and know her now. Not unless I want to, anyway." Penelope explained, taking another sip, "Besides, I'm kind of more interested in what happened to my Dad. As far as I know, he's not in the ground somewhere. I don't even have a name to go off of, so I don't know where to look."

Shirley thought about this until she remembered the picture she saw at the workbench; the one with her in it. She'd completely forgotten about it while she was trying to get her gem healed. She searched the photos until she found the one she saw earlier and brought it over to Penelope.

"Shirley?" She asked, curiously.

She showed the picture to Penelope and pointed to the young man next to her, "This is my squad from the war! And this man next to me is Lt Jack Spencer. He's my commander!"

Penelope looked confused, " That's great and all, Shirley. But, what are you trying to tell me?"

"There were twelve of us originally. We were down to seven by the time I was poofed. Even with the original twelve, only one man had grey eyes like yours and has this photo and that's Lieutenant Spencer!" Shirley explained, "I believe it's him and that this is his house! Otherwise, how did I end up in your bag!"

Penelope's eyes widened, "That was you in my bag?! I found you floating in a bubble in the middle of the house with a note that said, 'Please take care of me. I'm fragile'!"

Shirley frowned, muttering, "Oh, that man! I'm going to get back at him one of these days, I swear on my Gem!"

Penelope giggled at the response. It was nice to see that she was adjusting to the flow of things around here. Well, despite Jasper avoiding her for what happened. She needed to try and talk to her later.

"Anyways, and no offense, but even if there is a way to tell that he is my dad, he hasn't been back here in over the three years I've lived here! So, where is he?" Penelope pointed out.

"I don't know." Shirley admitted, "I lost track when I took a hit for him. But, I know some people who can! Can I borrow that?"

Penelope quickly turned to look over at the cover-up object, "You mean the bike? I think it was my Dad's. I don't know where he got it, but it's worth big on the market…"

She trailed off as went to pull off the cover, revealing a beautiful, well-preserved bike, "The Indian 741, military-issued with the original paint job and everything. It's like it came straight out of the factory! And the best part…"

She grabbed the keys to it and turned on the ignition. It roared to life with a beautiful sound, making Penelope grin, "She runs like it! A hidden treasure, really. Seriously, I want to know how he got his hands on something like this!"

She looked up at Shirley's face to find practically drooling over the bike. As if in a trance, she carefully touch the bike. Penelope wouldn't be surprised if she met this bike before. Shirley was a walking history book of a Gem. She wouldn't be surprised if she became a historian later down the road.

"Oh, this brings me back to one of your previous wars. I didn't fight in that one, but I did enjoy working on the machinery! I can take this apart and put it back together without so much as a loose screw!" Shirley commented with a wonderful sigh, "And he had this?!"

"Yep. Been locked up in here by the time I came around." Penelope replied.

There was a moment of silence as the Pearl gave her a pleading look.

Penelope sighed, "If I find so much as a scratch on it after this…"

"I promise to be responsible with it," Shirley promised as Penelope tossed her the keys.

After handing off an envelope with gas money in it, Shirley rode off promising to return in three days.

After that, Penelope spent most of the day fixing the truck so that they didn't have to use the bike so much. She managed to locate the leak and patched it up till she can get the parts.

As she was cleaning up, she heard noise out in the garden. She sighed, thinking it was another corruption. She made sure to keep all noise to a minimum as she exited the garage.

She crept around the garden as she continues to hear something rustle around the trees and bushes. When it got louder, she phased her gauntlets and muttered, "Come out, come out wherever you are, you sneaky lil' corruption!"

It was at that moment, something pounced on her and knocked her to the ground. She was about to put up a fight when she a familiar purple face with tears in her eyes as she got glomped into a hug.

"Penelope! Oh my gosh, you're okay! We were so worried when you cracked your gem and- oh my gosh, Your gem! Is it- I didn't-" Amethyst babbled, freaking out.

Penelope slapped a hand over her mouth, "Amethyst, it's ok! I'm fine! My Gem's fixed! Everything's okay now!"

Amethyst mumbled something into her hand and she calmly took it away, "I'm glad to hear it! You're my friend, Penny! Despite everything, you're gem included, I really was worried about you. Besides, cracked gems are not fun! Trust me, I been there…"

"I wouldn't know. I was out like a light the whole time till I woke up drowning in some fountain. My Gem was good as new by then. Anyway, would you like to come inside? Since your here and all."

"I don't know," Amethyst looked uncomfortably at the house, "I don't think Jasper will want me around here after what happened at Beta…"

Penelope frowned at the small quartz before taking her hand, "You won't know until you try! Come on!"

"Wha-!?"

Amethyst was caught off guard as the Diamond hybrid marched towards the house with her in toll. She found that she couldn't resist her even if she wanted to! Was this all because of her Gem? It made sense to her since Gems were made to obey their Diamonds on Homeworld. But, this was Penelope. She never knew anything about her gem till now. What if she doesn't know exactly what she's capable of? That scared Amethyst more than she'll admit. Not even she knew what a Diamond is capable of. Even worse, Garnet and Pearl are going to freak if they find out about Penelope's Gem.

Amethyst was lost in this train of thought as they entered the house into the living room. Jasper was laying on the couch, watching some movie that she had found. Though, she doesn't seem too interested in it. It was better than doing nothing.

She focused her attention on her Diamond and the runt, and shrugged, "Oh… Hey, I guess…"

This snapped Amethyst out of her train of thought. Jasper would normally be on her in a heartbeat. Instead, she just looked like she wants to be alone. Just what happened after Beta? They both merely blinked at her in shock. This was very unlike her to not want to argue over stuff like an enemy in the house.  
"We'll be in the kitchen if you need us, Auntie," Penelope stated, urging Amethyst into the kitchen.

Once they were in the kitchen, Penelope started making more tea for herself and gave Amethyst a soda. They were both going to need this. Especially, since she may have to deal with the inevitable. Thankfully, Amethyst was the first to speak.

"So," she began, opening her soda, "What's the deal with Jasper?"

Penelope shrugged, "I don't know. She's been like this since we got back. Even Shirley tried to get her out of it, but nothing worked."

"Who's Shirley? I thought it was just you and Jasper?"

"Well, long story short: she's a pearl I found bubbled here when I first arrived. Apparently, she knew my dad, if he is who she thinks he is, and is out trying to figure out where he went after she lost track of him. She saved his life at the price of her Gem getting cracked. We got her fixed, too."

"Wow… why Shirley, though?"

"Something about her being pink and Shirley Church… she's some actress, I think," Penelope fixed her cup as the kettle whistled, loudly, "Since we have two pearls now, it makes sense to keep track of them somehow."

"Yeah, you have a point there," Amethyst commented before chugging the rest of her soda.

Penelope leans against the counter with her tea, hesitatingly asking, "How's… How's Steven?"

The question made Amethyst paused. It was certainly a loaded question. But, how much should she tell her now Diamond hybrid friend? That he's more confused? That through her, he knows the Diamond his mom shattered was alive and had a kid of her own? That he's worried that Penelope's going to die and wants to help her? All of the above?

"He's…okay, I guess," Amethyst got serious now, "Are we going to talk about this? About you?"

Penelope looked hesitant, watching the steam rise up from her cup. She could run, but she couldn't ignore this forever.

"You mean my Gem? Who my mother was? How none of this makes sense anymore? How was I supposed to know about any this of this, Amethyst?!" she asked, slamming her mug down on the counter, "I didn't know my parents! What do I know about a 6,000-year-old war?! What do I know about being a Diamond that was defective and not supposed to exist?! Just how do I exist at all!?"

She wept now, "I haven't been able to sleep for days and had been staring at a stupid truck engine for hours. I just want to put this whole thing aside for a while and can't even do that!"

Amethyst pondered this. She slowly saw that Penelope did have dark circles and was obviously too stressed about this. She, originally, agreed to track down Penelope because she and Steven were worried. Now, she just wanted to help her. Only she was just as confused as she was and the only people that had all the answers to their problems were gone! They left everything up to their kids to figure it out. Penelope may be Pink's daughter, but none of this was her fault nor Steven's for that matter! She didn't cause a war or tried to turn Earth into a colony. She's just trying to live and find her parents!

She caught sight of the CD player and rock CDs on the counter. An idea popped in her head not long after as she grabbed Penelope by the shoulders.

"Penny, I got it! How about you tag along for a rock show?!" Amethyst suggested, excitedly.

This perked her interest as she had never been to one. Her earlier exhaustion was replaced by pure curiosity as she asked, "A rock show?"

"Yeah, it'll be fun!" Amethyst grinned, wrapping her arm around Penelope's shoulders as she wiped away her tears, "We can bring Jasper along, too! It's totally up to you! What do you say?!"

She gave a small chuckle, "Alright, alright! I give! I'll tag along! Besides, I'm a sucker for some good rock'n'roll and heavy metal!"

"Heavy metal?"

"Yeah, it's like rock'n'roll's evil twin. It's something that you kinda have to relate to understand and, definitely, not for the faint of heart!" She explained, looking through the CDs on the kitchen counter.

Amethyst came up beside her and noticed that there were different ones mixed up in the pile. She picked up one that was a pop CD, then another that she found that she never heard of before. She was surprised Penelope had all of these.

"Man, you got a lot of these things!" Amethyst commented.

Penelope giggled, "Yeah? Well, it's no surprise that I like different types of music. Honestly, I kinda like to think people are like music; there are as many people as there are songs! Each individual has one, even you, me, and Auntie!"

"So, what kind of music are you?"

"Probably, one of those mixtapes that has a little bit of everything on it. Since I'm into a lot of stuff."

"Well, you do have that Accordion for an instrument."

"That's not the only instrument I play, though."

"Is it another weird one?"

"Define 'weird'." Penelope teased, as she went into the closet.

After a moment of rummaging, she brought a strange flannel patterned bag with what looked like pipes sticking out of it. Penelope was grinning from ear to ear, proudly. One could tell that the precious Diamond hybrid considered it her favorite instrument. Amethyst giggled at it, "Ok, Penny, what is this?"

"This, my good friend, is a bagpipe. An instrument of the Scots from Europe," Penelope, happily, informed her, "It's the most hardcore instrument I own! Isn't it cool?!"

Amethyst grinned, amusingly, "Yeah? I gotta ask you to prove your case on that one, Penny. And there's only one way to do it."

"Then, please, allow me to enlighten you of its awesomeness!" Penelope proposed, as she set down the instrument and got out a special mix CD labeled 'EAT MY BAGPIPE!' in sharpie... It was a good name for it at the time!

After a couple of minutes of setting up the CD player, she properly positioned the bagpipe under her arm as the opening began to play. It was a few seconds more she chimed in with her pipes. By the time she was done with 'shipping down to Boston', Amethyst had stars in her eyes.

"...We need to show this to Greg! He'll freak once he hears this!" Amethyst exclaimed in excitement.

"Who's Greg?" Penelope asked, taking the CD out and putting it back in the case upon the mention of the name.

"He's this guy that plays a lot of rock music and the guy who told me about that show!" She explained, grabbing Penelope's arm, "Come on! You gotta meet him!"

Penelope managed to at least tell Jasper that she'll be heading out before she was rushed out the door and on top of the warp pad. Penelope almost didn't have time to freak out like she normally did as she was at the mercy of Amethyst and was too focused on making sure her bagpipe and CD didn't get lost or break. It wasn't fun in her opinion.

Despite that mess, she was surprised she managed to notice a warp pad in Steven's house. Good to know. She also saw Pearl but was too freaked out from the rush to say hi.

All in all, she hoped to avoid warp pad as much as possible in the near future. Mostly cause she couldn't see how everyone, her mother included, just casually traveled on these horrible contraptions without a care in the world!? Did Steven feel the same or was he like the rest of the Gems?! She didn't care either way as long as she wasn't involved.

Her head spin after a while that she didn't notice they actually found the person they were looking for. As soon as she got a hold of herself, she turned her attention to the balding, long-haired man that she assumed to be Greg. His sunburnt face expressing concerned for her.

"Are you okay? I know Amethyst can be a little rough on people." He admitted.

She merely nodded, quietly. She didn't know whether to completely trust him or not. Still, she trusted Amethyst so she talks to him for now. Amethyst seemed way ahead of her, though.

"Greg," she greeted, excitedly, "This is Penelope! She plays weird instruments to rock'n'roll and metal and it is awesome! Show him, Penny!"

Penelope was typically not one for meeting new people and instead hid behind Amethyst. She, normally, was like this. However, there's was a possibility that a combination of her stress levels and suddenly get pulled into a death trap of transportation device might have made her paranoid. She'll blame Amethyst later.

Said Gem seemed surprised, "Penny? What's wrong?"

Greg smiled, "I think you spooked her, Amethyst. She doesn't have to play if she doesn't want to."

He held out a hand to her, "I'm Greg Universe. Cool hair, by the way!"

"Penelope Pink. And, uh, thanks?" Penelope was hesitant, but slowly took his hand, "You're not, by any chance, related to a Steven, are you?"

Greg smiled, "Yeah, I'm his Dad! Are you friends with him, too?"

"No… Not really…" Penelope replied, staring at the ground.

She frowned at this information. Steven actually had a parent; a dad. A happy family. He was nice and friendly, too. It made her chest ache as she tried to swallow.

Greg frowned at her expression and sat down on the edge of his open van, "You know, I'm not much. But, I'm here if you want to talk about it."

"And what do you know?" Penny asked, kicking a random piece of asphalt, "Steven and I may be the same thing, but we're definitely different! As much as I don't want to admit it, it makes me sick to know it!"

"Penny…" Amethyst put a hand on her shoulder, "It's okay. I-"

"No, Amethyst, it's not okay! It's never been okay!" Penny burst out, focusing all of her frustration on to another rock, "He has everything! He has you, the other gems, his dad, and he has so much love that it makes me sick! Me? Up until recently, I had nothing!"

She began to crush the rock into pieces, "No Dad, no gems, not even a family, and I had to grow up just so I can even have a chance to live! I don't even care if this was Mom's Colony or some royal title! What good is it if nobody bothers to welcome you home and say 'I love you'?..."

She wasn't surprised by the tears. It had been a long time since she lasted cried and she didn't cry easily either. However, she failed to notice that a tear had fallen on a piece of the broken rock. It became animated and looked up towards the crying hybrid that created it. It hugged her shoe and it did something unexpected.

"I love you!" The broken rock spoke with a smile.

Penny became surprised as she looked down at the rock. "I love you!"

Carefully, Penny scooped up the rock like it was a precious gift and hugged it. Amethyst stared sadly at her friend, she had felt her pain before but didn't know how to respond to that. She noticed Greg picked up his acoustic guitar and began idly strumming a tune.

"Sometimes, music helps calm people." He told Amethyst as Penny began humming. She never heard Penny sing before and kept quiet to that end. She did say she rarely sang anymore.

Penny took a deep breath as she cuddles the rock and sang,

" _What is love?_

 _By definition, it's an emotion,_

 _Or is just an expression?_

 _What is love?_

 _Will it fly you to the moon,_

 _Or keep you warm when I say 'see you soon'?_

 _Oh, It's a pleasant thing_

 _To know what it means_

 _When you feel love."_

Amethyst stared at her friend. She had a pretty voice and yet, it felt sad. How long has Penelope been alone?

" _How does it feel?_

 _To be on Cloud nine,_

 _With people you enjoy all the time?_

 _How does it feel?_

 _To know that you are deeply loved,_

 _To put the stars in their eyes from up above._

 _Oh, It's a pleasant thing_

 _To know what it means_

 _When you feel love."_

Penny looked up at the evening sky as she sang the last part,

" _What is love?_

 _When you have a mother,_

 _That loves her child like no other._

 _How does it feel?_

 _To have a father..._

 _Who loves and protects his daughter…"_

Tears ran down her face as she let a soft sob. Not a second later, she was hugged by Amethyst and Greg helped comfort her as the sunset in the distance. Everything else was forgotten for a while.

* * *

 **I'm very proud of my own little song.**

 **Till next time,**

 **Ellis Alpha**


End file.
